MacKillop Chronicles 2023 Term 4, Week 1

Thursday 12 October, 2023

Primary Matters

Dear Community,

Sunday Gospel Account

“The feast is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy to come. Go out, therefore, into the main roads and invite to the feast whomever you find.” Matthew 22: 1 – 14. The wedding feast parable is about an open invitation from God to all who believe in him. Sadly, and even more so in the world today, where we have become much more secular, many have rejected Jesus’ invitation.  A priest I once knew used to write: “He must increase. We must decrease.” Eternity is a long game, and those who invest their time, energy and money into worldly riches at the expense of knowing God will struggle to reach what has been promised from Jesus.

Week 1 Assembly POSTPONED!

Friday’s assembly has been postponed to 10:10 am on Tuesday, 17 October, 2023. All parents and carers are welcome to attend.

Top Gate Walkers

Due to an increasing number of children need to walk home to destinations north of the school, we are now hosting a “Top Gate Walkers” group.  This term the children will meet Mrs Shilling and Mrs Whitmore at “The Stump” near Primary Kiss and Drop. The children will walk out the top gate and supervised across Mataram Road. Students are not permitted to walk this route without the teachers on duty. The “Bottom Gate Walkers” will remain the same.

National Netball Championships

La ‘Keita Gristwood and Havaiana M from Year 7 and Ava N from Year 6 represented a First Nations team during the holidays. Havaiana and Ava had the opportunity to play in Perth in the School Sport Australia Nationals Tournament. They participated in games against students from states and territories around Australia. La ‘Keita played in the U13s team and went to the Gold Coast to play in the International Netball Festival. She played teams from all around the world and came 4th. The girls enjoyed the experience and should be commended for their representation and fantastic sportsmanship. 

Surf Education Program for Stage 2 and Stage 3 Students

Get ready for an exciting adventure as our Stage 2 and Stage 3 students dive into the world of surf education! We are thrilled to announce that the program kicks off on Friday, 20 October.

The program begins with the theory component, equipping our students with essential knowledge about surf safety, awareness, and important skills that are crucial for coastal living. This theoretical foundation sets the stage for the practical aspect, which promises loads of fun in the sun! During Week 5, our students will have the fantastic opportunity to put their newfound knowledge into practice as they head to the beautiful Toowoon Bay beach. Thanks to our partnership with the Toowoon Bay Surf Life Savers, our students will enjoy a memorable and educational day at the beach. Learning about surf safety is not just a valuable addition to their knowledge; it's an essential skill for all Central Coast-based students. The Central Coast boasts some of the most stunning beaches in the country, and it's our responsibility to ensure that our students can enjoy them safely and confidently.

20th Anniversary Social Event

On Saturday, 18 November, MCC will celebrate our 20th Anniversary with an over 18 social event for members of our community, past and present. Tickets are $45 each and available through Eventbrite: MCC 20th Anniversary Cocktail Party. Our very own Scott Wallis and his band Steamboat Hollow will be keeping the dance floor full all night, so bring your dancing shoes and buy a ticket today. 

Parenting Course

This term at school, our school counsellor, Jade Kremer, will be co-facilitating Tuning in to Kids, which is an evidence-based parenting program that has been delivered worldwide. Read more at the official site here: https://tuningintokids.org.au/parents/.  The purpose of the program is to help us learn strategies for supporting (coaching) our children in managing their emotions. It is not too late to register. The program will run on Tuesdays from 1-3 pm for 5 weeks starting on Tuesday, 31 October. Please register with Karen Fox on 02 4305 6200 or kfox@uniting.org

College Photos

College photos will be distributed to students this week. If your child/ren were involved in a special group photo such as SRC, you can order these images online using the following code: 70752CH.

Enter Order Number - Newcastle School Portraits Ordering

Learning Sprints Year 2 and Year 4

This term, our Year 2 and Year 4 students will be involved in Learning Sprints. During Learning Sprints time, students work in small groups with a teacher on a specific skill in Mathematics or English. This allows us to provide targeted teaching to boost skills in a bespoke, supportive way. Teachers and children enjoy this opportunity that we are able to offer at MacKillop, and we find this helps prepare our students for NAPLAN early next year. 

Staff Spirituality Day

On Monday, the staff across the College attended a Staff Spirituality Day where all staff of the college engaged and connected together to reflect on their own personal faith journey. We celebrated the start of the new term in Mass with Father Baby and also heard about the World Youth Day travels of the high school students from the teachers who accompanied them, as well as Sister Jiji and Brother Shayne. This was inspirational, and as Pilgrims, they learned much about their own faith journeys.

The staff also attended workshops including: Walk with Jesus- a way of Praying, Biblical Micrography, Parts of the Mass and Adoration, Dadirri Dreaming, Meditative Walking and Ukulele. These workshops supported staff on their own personal faith journeys and delving deeper into this faith, as well as providing opportunities for staff to learn so they can pass this learning to the students within their classes and across the College.

Here is Kinder Banksia working hard in writing lessons. We have been creating a goal for Term 4

Year 5 Leadership Camp

This Term, Year 5 are heading to Point Wolstencroft for a three-day Leadership Style camp from October 25 to 27. This camp is not just about fun; it's a journey of self-discovery and leadership development. As our students engage in thrilling activities, they will not only create lasting memories but also forge strong friendships. These new bonds will extend beyond the campfire, fostering a sense of unity and camaraderie among our Year 5 students. During their time at Point Wolstencroft, our students will have the opportunity to push their boundaries and unlock their leadership potential. They'll learn valuable skills and gain insights into leadership styles that will serve them well in school and beyond. A huge thank you to the teachers for their planning and preparation as well as the time they give up away from their own families.

Socktober Day Celebrations

October is Catholic Mission month. During this month, to assist in raising awareness for Catholic Mission across our community and also across the world, we celebrate Socktober Day.

This year Catholic Mission is supporting the needs of Timor-Leste. We will be raising money to help the children and families of this community to support them with medical needs and promote good health in their community.

The children are asked to wear crazy socks next Wednesday, 18 October and bring a gold coin donation on the day, which will go to Catholic Mission and help the Timor-Leste community.

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COMPASS

Please ensure that you familiarise yourself with the permission and payment side of COMPASS as this is the only way that permission and payments will now be accepted.

God Bless

Frank Cohen
Primary Principal

Little Lighthouse Playgroup - Postponed

Secondary News

Prayer: For the beginning of Term 4

Dear Heavenly Father,

As we gather together at the dawn of Term 4 in the loving embrace of Christ our Light, we humbly come before you, grateful for the blessings of another day and another season of learning and growth at MacKillop Catholic College. We seek your guidance, wisdom, and strength as we embark on this new chapter of our educational journey.

We thank you for the gift of knowledge and the opportunity to nurture the minds and hearts of our students in the light of your truth. May your divine wisdom shine upon our teachers, staff, students, and families throughout this term, guiding them in their pursuit of knowledge and virtue.

Lord Jesus, you are the Light of the world, and we turn to you as our guiding star. Illuminate our path, dispel our doubts, and inspire us to walk in the footsteps of Saint Mary MacKillop, who devoted her life to serving others and spreading your love and compassion. Help us to embody her spirit of courage, perseverance, and selflessness in our daily lives.

We pray for our families, Lord, that you may grant them strength and unity. Bless our parents and guardians as they support and nurture their children's growth and grant them the wisdom to be role models of faith and love. May they find joy and peace in the knowledge that they are contributing to the formation of young minds and souls.

We also lift up our students, Lord, as they embark on this new term. May they be eager to learn, open to new experiences, and kind to one another. Fill their hearts with your love and grant them the perseverance to overcome challenges, the curiosity to seek knowledge, and the compassion to serve others.

In this new term, may we grow closer to you, Lord, and to one another as a community of faith. May the light of your love shine through our actions and interactions, and may it be a beacon of hope and inspiration to all who encounter the MacKillop Catholic College family.

We entrust this new term into your hands, Lord, and ask for your blessings, protection, and guidance in all that we do. Through Christ our Light, we pray.

Amen

Learning:

Staff Spirituality Day:

Last Monday, 9 October, all staff K-12 attended a Spirituality Day at Kooindah Waters. This day is mandated for all staff in the Diocese to attend each year and is a wonderful opportunity for all staff to reflect on their own journeys of faith.

The day commenced with a beautiful Mass led by Fr Baby, who is replacing Fr Philip whilst he is on holiday in India. The staff were involved in a number of sessions, which included:

• Staff reflecting on the Catholic Charter and where we are as a school on engaging with it.
• The staff who attended World Youth Day presented their experiences.
• Staff selected 2 workshops each to attend, which included:
  • How to prepare a Mass
  • Walk with Jesus- A way of praying
  • Biblical Micrography
  • Dadirri Dreaming
  • Ukulele class on a religious hymn
  • Meditational Walk

The day ended with an enjoyable lunch and end-of-day reflection.

SevenMile's Enterprise In the Community Program

SevenMile’s Enterprise in the Community is a school-based competition that pairs real-world businesses together with a group of 5-6 students to solve a problem as identified by the business to help their needs. The program has been developed to give students the experience of working with unique issues that businesses face. On top of this, the program allows students to collaborate with peers and build presentation skills. During the program, students identify the core problem for the business, offer and justify solutions as well as present how they can assist the business beyond their suggestions.

Three teams of enthusiastic students from Years 10 and 11 formed to work with three local businesses.  

Over 2 days, the teams worked together to form presentations explaining the real problems each business was facing and then giving suggestions on how these problems could be solved. Judges then came at the end of the second day to see these presentations and select a winning team to go forward into the next round of competition in Sydney.

The winning team will be representing “Eat your Water”, a surf wear company, where the problem was to solve how to attract more female customers online and to reduce the amount of clothing that is returned, especially due to size issues.

RAW Challenge:

On Friday, 22 September, students studying Physical Activity and Sport Studies (PASS) spent an enjoyable last day of term completing the Raw Challenge at Doyalson. This semester, PASS students have been studying the components of fitness principles of training and have been busily designing and implementing a training program to develop their personal fitness. It was fantastic to see the students applying this knowledge and understanding. Putting their fitness to the test in real life, the students worked through a duelling 6km course with over 30 obstacles testing their physical strength, endurance, motivation, and communication. It is a day that we, as PDH staff, look forward to every year, and yet again, it did not disappoint.   

HSC Commences:

Our Year 12 commenced their HSC exams on Wednesday this week. We are so proud of them all, and we are sure they will do well. We already know that over one-third of this cohort has already been accepted into universities, with some students receiving multiple offers.

If you can, can you please include them in your daily prayers. Here is a lovely prayer that could be said as an individual or as a family.

HSC Callback Showcase:

Congratulations to our Year 12 Dance student Charlie S on her HSC Callback Showcase nominations!

Callback is a selection of outstanding performances selected by markers during the HSC practical marking period from across NSW.

She has been nominated for both her Core Performance and Major Study Performance.  A selection process will now take place to decide which student pieces will make up the final showcase in 2024.

We are incredibly proud of Charlie for all her hard work — these nominations are certainly well deserved!

YMCC Leadership Camp:

In the last week of Term 3, a group of YMCC students and teachers participated in the annual ‘Learning to Lead’ - Youth Ministry Leadership Camp. This took place at Camp Toukley for one night and gave students from Years 7-11 time to reflect on their faith and develop their leadership skills and confidence in youth ministry.

The camp activities that the students participated in were laser tag and archery. The workshops that the students engaged in ranged from gratitude, journalling, small group discussions to Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. We also got to celebrate together the birthdays of Olivia in Year 10 and Jared in Year 7.

Thank you to the students who shared their personal testimonies, Mr Jason Morrow and Br. Shayne, who presented to the students and to Sr Jiji and Mr Julian Legge, for staying overnight and assisting with the camp. What a great way to end the term!

Ignite Youth Conference

Every year, Ignite Youth hosts one of Australia's most powerful Catholic youth conferences. Delegates get to experience four days of real-world formation, encouragement in faith, great people and powerful worship. Ignite Conference draws together a network of high schoolers, young adults, ministry leaders, families, teachers, priests, and religious from around the country.

During the school holidays, eight students from Years 7 - 11 attended the four-day, three-night conference with much enthusiasm. The students attended Mass daily, participated in Adoration, and the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The group also engaged in a range of workshops, explored the expo, listened to a range of keynote speakers and testimonies of faith, danced, sang, and made new friends from regional parts of NSW, Tasmania and Victoria.

Each night, the group would reflect on and debrief their experiences of the day, and we are so proud of how they supported each other and represented the College. Thanks to Mrs Camilleri and Mrs Tenev, who accompanied the students during their own time in the school holidays. We hope to share the Ignite experience with the MacKillop community in the near future.

High Commendation Assembly:

At the end of Term 1 and Term 3, we have our High Commendation Assemblies, where we acknowledge a student in every class in every year for hard work, dedication, and improved results. These awards do not look at where a student is placed in their assessments but their improvement and effort.

These are usually the first week back in the next term, but as the HSC is in the Hall on the first Friday back, we have had to look for an alternative to have this and not disturb the Year 12 exams.

As a result, we will hold the assembly, to which we warmly welcome all our parents, on Tuesday, 17 October,  Week 2, at 9.15 am.

Attendance

It is so important that all students attend school every day to enhance their learning. Please strive for the 92% attendance NESA suggests, and please encourage and assist your children to be resilient. Of course, they should stay home if they are ill, but they need to have good routines to be successful and committed to their education.

It is also important that they are at school every day, including the very last day, Tuesday, 12 December.

So Proud of Former Students:

Jack Cogger attended MacKillop from Year 7 to the end of his HSC year. He was always a great sportsman, but he was also so much more. He worked hard at his studies, always completing his assessments and classwork and striving for good grades. He joined Youth Ministry and assisted with scripture teaching at a local primary school. When he stood for Student Parliament in Year 11, he stated that he did not just want to be known as that 'sporty kid'; he was elected to Parliament, which he proudly served.

He was a young man of whom we were very proud, and we followed his career in the NRL and overseas. We are so pleased for his recent success with the Penrith Panthers and being part of the winning team for 2023.

For some more about him, read the following article. https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nrl-premiership/nrl-2023-penrith-panthers-recruitment-roster-jack-cogger-nathan-cleary-grand-final-tyrone-peachey-contracts/news-story/32e5c1c35e090d8112a4183e547ca199

 Also, another ex-student, Micheal Olliveri, has been nominated as Coast Shelter's new Volunteer Ambassador. So well deserved, and so proud that our students continue to carry on the work of Mary MacKillop beyond our school!!

COMPASS Notification:

From the beginning of this term, parents cannot download and print a hardcopy consent form from COMPASS. Instead, all parents must use COMPASS to give digital permission and make any payment(s). Please refer to the Notice on COMPASS that has this information and an attachment that instructs you on how to complete these forms digitally.

Important Dates for T4 Week 2:

• Mon – Fri – Year 12 HSC
• Tuesday – High Commendation Assembly 9.15 am, Parents welcome / Camp Breakaway Mini-Olympics
• Wed – Fri – Year 9 Camp
• Thurs – Mission Mass

A Heads Up:

MacKillop 20^th Anniversary Cocktail Party:

To celebrate our 20^th Year Anniversary and to allow our community to come together as a K-12 school, a group of our parents have organised a 20^th Anniversary Cocktail Party Celebration.

This is a social event and is for all members of our community, 18 years and over, past and present.

Come along and meet with friends and make new ones. Get ready to dance along to a great local band, Steamboat Hollow.

Where: Wyong Leagues Club
When: Saturday 18 November
Time: 7 pm - 11 pm
Dress: Black and White Cocktail

Entertainment and nibbles provided; over 18 event

Tickets are $45 each and on sale now: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/700047720577?aff=oddtdtcreator

Final Word

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the College.

Remember to check COMPASS, our website and our Facebook pages for information.

God bless.

Debra Ferguson

Secondary Principal

Getting to know: Damien Tomsett

20th Anniversary Celebration - Tickets on Sale Now

Frozen Jnr. The cast and rehearsal schedule announced

Congratulations to the cast of next year's College musical, Frozen Jnr. You have a busy rehearsal schedule we can't wait to see you all perform!

Mary's Faithful Wardrobe and Mary's Formal Closet

Our amazing PEC (Parent Engagement Coordinator), Lucy Marien, in collaboration with our Parish, have developed a community wardrobe for families to borrow special outfits for their child's sacrament celebrations.

Mrs Marien is also starting a Formal version for our Secondary students looking for a special graduation dress or suit.

We are currently looking for donations to get the clothing library started. We are asking the community to go through their wardrobes and consider giving your forgotten good-quality items a new purpose.

For full details, please see the flyers below.

Free Parenting Program

Supporting young people with the transition to Secondary school

Central Coast Family Support Services

NSW and ACT Pathways to Post School Life

CatholicCare Community events

COMPASS Sign-in Update

Download the app so you are always up to date with school events.